


Welcome to Purgatory

by thatsoddlyromantic



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 23:44:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10932492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoddlyromantic/pseuds/thatsoddlyromantic
Summary: Nicole Haught is new to the acting industry, cast in a buzzworthy project called Welcome to Purgatory alongside none other than Hollywood darling Waverly Earp. Waverly Earp, who everyone knows as the onscreen - and rumored off-screen - love interest of heartthrob Champ Hardy. Waverly Earp, who is definitely straight. Unlike Nicole, who is openly (and unapologetically) gay. But unbeknownst to Nicole, Waverly is hiding a secret. Her being interested in Champ is all an act for the camera, because her true affections lie elsewhere - specifically, in girls. Not wanting to risk her career, Waverly has kept her sexuality a secret for years. But, when Nicole arrives on the scene and Waverly finds herself falling for her, will she be able to keep up the charade?





	1. Chapter 1

Nicole Haught sat on a bench at the airport terminal, deep in thought as she flipped through the pages of the script in front of her. She adjusted her baseball cap that proudly declared "gay is okay!" in capital letters and took a sip of her coffee before uncapping her highlighter, in search of any unmarked lines she'd forgotten to read over. Any of her lines. It still seemed surreal to Nicole that in just a few hours, she would find herself in Toronto, which would be her home for a month or so while shooting _Welcome to Purgatory_ with the rest of the film's cast.

The project had first come to her attention through her agent, who had received the script and excitedly told Nicole that she would be a perfect fit for the role of Leah, the main character's best friend. It would be Nicole's first major role in a film and she was excited but nervous, having not had much experience aside from a few commercials and bit parts in indie films. This would be her first attempt at making a real break into the industry since _Welcome to Purgatory_ was a pretty high-profile film that had generated a lot of buzz. For one thing, it was set to be produced by a major studio, Bombshell Productions. And, oh yeah, there was the tiny fact that she would be acting alongside Waverly Earp, a young ingenue who had quickly become one of Hollywood's brightest rising stars.

Even though Nicole admittedly wasn't the most familiar with Waverly's work, having seen only a few of her most recent films, she was very familiar with Waverly herself. While Nicole had made it a rule to avoid crushing on celebrities, there was something about Waverly that she couldn't help but be captivated by. Waverly seemed to be the whole package: beautiful, smart, kind, talented. But unfortunately for Nicole, there was another thing that Waverly seemed to be -  _straight._

After highlighting a few lines she'd missed, Nicole glanced up from her script and checked the time on her phone. As she did so, she couldn't help but notice that someone sitting across from her was reading a magazine that had a picture of Waverly and a man splashed across the cover. "Are they or are they not?" the headline underneath the picture read. Lately, one of the most popular topics of gossip in the media was whether or not Waverly was going out with Hollywood superstar and onscreen lover Champ Hardy, who would be co-starring opposite her once again in _Welcome to Purgatory_. While Waverly had never confirmed the rumours, Nicole had seen the pictures of them together - how happy they looked out for a walk or grabbing coffee. And based on those pictures, she believed it.

She didn't know what Waverly saw in Champ, honestly. Even though Nicole was a lesbian, she could at least appreciate why straight girls were into some of the popular Hollywood heartthrobs. Not Champ Hardy though. And definitely not because he was maybe dating Waverly Earp. Who was definitely straight. Because Nicole definitely wasn't jealous. She was a professional - or at least, hoping to be one - and had to put her career first. Being an openly gay actor had its complications - which was something Nicole had found out the hard way. There would be times she would go to an audition and see the casting director frown and shake their head as they read over her brief resumé, her heart sinking because she knew the reason. It was _Rainbow Flag_ , a short film that had made the rounds at a few LGBTQ-centric film festivals.

In the film she had played a character named Cat, who was an openly gay photographer who fell in love with her subject. Even though Cat only appeared in a few scenes and was a small part of the overall plot, Nicole was proud to have been part of the film. However, _Rainbow Flag_ 's very existence on her resumé could make or break her chances at a role before she even opened her mouth to read for the part. Fortunately for Nicole, the director of _Welcome to Purgatory_ had seen and loved her work in _Rainbow Flag_. She had liked Nicole's energy and felt that it would be great to have a fresh face amongst the otherwise well-known cast, which ultimately had helped her land the highly coveted role.

Nicole sighed, highlighting a few lines she had somehow skimmed over. At this point, she knew most of the script by heart. After all, she didn't want to show up and embarrass herself by not being prepared on the first day. The flight attendant announced the boarding call, and Nicole got up from the bench, tucking the script into her bag. She walked down the hallway that led into the plane's interior, trying to stay calm. A few minutes after she had found her seat, the pilot announced they were ready for takeoff. Nicole's heart leapt in her chest. This was really happening. She was going to be a movie star. Or, at the very least, she hoped she would be. 

* * *

  
"Waverly! Waverly! Over here!"

As Waverly Earp stepped off the runway from her private jet and into the Toronto airport, she gave a megawatt smile, waving to the mass of paparazzi and fans that surrounded her. She had become used to being greeted this way over the past year or so, a sudden rush of excited energy and camera flashes surrounding her comings and goings. It was a mystery how they had managed to find her at the airport since she had tried to be discreet about her location - she figured something she posted on one of her social media channels must have somehow tipped them off. Rather than avoid the celebrity scene though, Waverly had decided to embrace every moment of it. After all, she never knew when her fifteen minutes of fame would be up. As many people had told her, including her agent, fame was fleeting - so Waverly figured she might as well enjoy the ride while she could.

Waverly skillfully maneuvered her way through the crowd that had formed around her, stopping every so often for a pose or picture or autograph. Whatever the people wanted, she would give them. It was in her nature to please. She smiled as fans snapped selfies with her and signed everything they held out, from posters to pieces of clothing and even the occasional body part. Her security guards stood by her, one on each side, to make sure that no one did anything too crazy. Waverly hadn't had any uncomfortable run-ins with fans yet, but she was grateful for the added protection that security offered.

In the midst of her frenzied interactions with fans, the paparazzi were pressing Waverly for details on _Welcome to Purgatory_ , which she gracefully avoided sharing. It was set to potentially be her biggest film yet and the plot details were being kept tightly under wraps.

"Well, I mean I could tell you, but the production team might hunt me down!" she said with a laugh. "Sorry to disappoint."

Even though Waverly aimed to please, she knew that the nature of her career sometimes required her to keep things confidential - no matter how badly people wanted to know. Fortunately for her, this wasn't hard to do. Waverly was used to keeping secrets. Especially since there was one particular secret she kept buried deep down inside.

When the paparazzi found themselves unsuccessful at their attempts to find out more about the film, the topic of interrogation then shifted to the next question. That one inevitable question Waverly always dreaded, as it was seemingly inescapable.

"Waverly!" a reporter shouted. "What's the deal with you and Champ Hardy?"

Waverly smiled, seemingly unfazed by the microphone being thrust at her. Even though she hated the question, she was more than prepared for it.

"Champ's great," she said earnestly, not missing a beat. "He's a really nice guy and I can't wait to work with him again soon!"

It was a generic and carefully rehearsed answer, but still enough to provoke the reporter's curiosity further.

"So are the two of you dating?"

"Maybe we are," Waverly replied. "But... isn't that for us to know and you to wonder?" She smiled suggestively. Then, the questions came flying.

"Did you hook up on the set of your last movie together?"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Just tell us, are you dating Champ or not?"

Waverly ignored their questions and continued smiling as she made her way through the crowd, her security guards hurrying her along. These days it seemed like the press was more interested in her love life than in anything else.

 _No, of course we're not dating!_ she wanted to shout. _And we never will be because I don't like him like that._

But she couldn't say those things, as much as she wanted to. Once rumours about her and Champ being a couple had started, her publicist had told her that she should play up the idea of the possibility of an off-screen romance between them to generate even more interest in _Welcome to Purgatory_. Waverly had agreed to the idea, knowing that it would help boost her career. She also knew that being linked to Champ would make it less likely for other rumours to emerge about her and her love life - or rather, her lack of one. After all, why wouldn't one of Hollywood's hottest on-screen couples end up falling for one another behind the scenes?

One of her security guards suddenly turned to her and whispered something. Waverly nodded before looking back at the crowd.

"Sorry to rush off, but I have to get going to set since my flight was delayed," she explained apologetically. "But it was lovely meeting you all!"

The paparazzi tried to follow her but her security guards blocked their path. Waverly could hear the fans continue calling out to her as she began to exit the building, eager for one last interaction with _the_ Waverly Earp. Her driver met her in the parkade, standing by a black Range Rover holding up a sign to show that he was with the production crew of _Welcome to Purgatory_. After quick introductions were made, Waverly got in the car. Her phone was flooded with notifications, many of which were Twitter mentions from the fans she had just met. She smiled as she scrolled through their excited tweets, liking and replying as she went. Even though it was near impossible to acknowledge every fan interaction, Waverly did her best to go out of her way and make her fans feel like they mattered.

Suddenly, a news story that was trending on Twitter's 'moments' in the "entertainment" section caught her eye. It was about a well-known pop star coming out as bisexual, much to the surprise of many of her fans. Intrigued, Waverly tapped on the story. A few moments later however, she wished she hadn't. While Waverly saw that many fans had sent positive and supportive tweets congratulating the singer, there were also a great deal of homophobic comments sent her way as well. Some people had even threatened to boycott her music since she was now "a gay". Waverly's eyes widened in horror as she read more hateful messages directed at the pop star. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

"Is everything okay, Miss Earp?" the driver asked.

Waverly nodded, doing her best to force a smile.

"Yeah, of course!" she answered, quickly closing out of the Twitter app. She hoped her words sounded more convincing than they felt. Reading that news story and seeing people's reactions had been a sobering reminder to Waverly of why she couldn't speak her own truth. And that was because she knew that if the world found out that Waverly Earp, Hollywood darling, was also into girls, her career as she knew it would inevitably be over.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Nicole had arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport, just a few short hours after Waverly Earp had been whisked away by security from the exact same place, she went to retrieve her suitcase from the baggage carousel. It was relatively easy to spot because of the luggage tag hanging off the end, which was purple with a unicorn on the front. Nicole hoisted her suitcase up and off the carousel as soon as she saw it, and then pulled its handle up so she would be able to wheel it around. Even though the airport was fairly busy as it was mid-afternoon, no one paid any attention to Nicole's arrival. To them, she was just another face in the crowd, who was coming and going just like everybody else. Little did they know that once she left the airport, she would be heading to the set of _Welcome to Purgatory_ to meet her soon-to-be-castmates - including Waverly Earp.

At that moment, Nicole felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a short, blonde woman dressed in a professional-looking outfit and holding a sign with her name on it.

"Miss Haught?" the woman asked.

Nicole blinked, surprised at first. _Oh right._ She quickly realized that the woman standing in front of her was part of the film's production team. _Another coffee would have probably done her some good._

"Yep, that's me!" Nicole said, shaking hands with the woman, who introduced herself as Stephanie - her driver.

"I'm here to take you to set, Miss Haught," Stephanie then explained. "But you can drop your things off at the hotel on the way there first if you would like."

"That would be great!" Nicole said. "And please, call me Nicole." She smiled warmly at Stephanie, wanting to make a good impression.

"Okay then, Nicole," Stephanie said, smiling back. "Let's get going then!"

After making a quick pit stop at the hotel to unload Nicole's luggage - which Nicole watched the valet staff dutifully cart away at Stephanie's request - it was off to set. Nicole didn't know exactly what to expect, given that it was her first time being part of such a big production. All the sets she had been on before were usually confined to a tiny soundstage. As Stephanie pulled up to a colourful glass building that read "Pinewood Toronto Studios" on the outside however, Nicole had a feeling that this experience would be much different. Her eyes widened as she took in the building's exterior, marveling at not only its beauty but its sheer enormosity.

"Aren't you coming?" Nicole asked Stephanie, who was still in the car.

Stephanie shook her head, giving Nicole a small smile. While she had experience driving around movie stars, she knew that this whole thing was pretty new to her current client.

"I'm just here to drive you to and from locations, that's my job," she told Nicole.

"Oh! Okay, well... thanks for getting me here!"

"I'll be back to take you to your hotel in a few hours," Stephanie said. "Have fun!"

With that she was off, leaving Nicole standing in front of the huge building. Nicole took a deep breath as she walked inside.

"Hi, I'm Nicole Haught," she told the receptionist.

The receptionist smiled brightly.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Nicole!" she exclaimed. "Welcome to Pinewood Studios."

She then handed Nicole a small basket, which was filled to the brim with assorted goodies such as muffins, flowers, and gift certificates - and even a bottle of expensive looking wine.

"What's this?" Nicole asked, somewhat bewildered as she peered into the basket. She wasn't used to special treatment. After all, she wasn't exactly famous or anything.

"It's a welcome basket!" the receptionist said cheerily. "All cast members get one. Our compliments, of course!"

"Thank you," Nicole replied, genuinely touched by the gesture. She then realized she had no idea where she was headed now that she was inside the building. "Um, which way do I go?"

"If you take the elevator up to the fourth floor and take a left, you'll find the room!"

"Thanks so much," Nicole said gratefully. She headed towards the elevator, pressing the 'up' button. A few moments later, the tiny light above the elevator door turned green and the doors opened. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the number '4' on the control panel as the doors slid closed behind her.

 _I can do this,_ Nicole told herself, closing her eyes as she clutched the complimentary welcome basket. She could feel her heart rate increasing along with the floor numbers that were displayed on the screen in front of her. _Will they like me?_ she asked herself. As soon as the elevator reached the fourth floor the doors opened and Nicole stepped out into the hallway, ready to find out what the first cast meeting had in store for her.

* * *

 Waverly was already sitting at the table with the rest of the cast, scripts out in front of them and Champ's arm draped around her shoulder. They were waiting for the last person they needed to show up before they could start the table read, and that person was Nicole Haught. Despite the fact that she was going to be playing Waverly's best friend in the film, Waverly only knew Nicole by name. Unlike the rest of the cast, who she had either worked with before or at least been vaguely familiar with, Nicole was completely unknown to her. And that made Waverly nervous for several reasons. Still, she plastered on a smile as she heard the doorknob turn... and in walked a tall, redheaded woman.

The woman paused for a moment once she stepped inside, taking a look around the room as if to make sure she was in the right place.

"Hey, I'm Nicole," she said, introducing herself with a smile. "Nicole Haught."

The film's director, Emma Lee, was sitting at the head of the table. Waverly watched as she reached out to shake the woman's - Nicole's - hand.

"Welcome, Nicole!" she said. Then, she turned back to face the rest of the cast. "Everyone, Nicole will be playing Leah. And Nicole," - she gestured over to the empty chair directly across from Waverly - "you'll be sitting over here for the table read."

Waverly felt her heart skip a beat as Nicole smiled, their eyes meeting across the room for a brief moment. Even though Nicole was dressed in casual clothes and wore minimal makeup, she still looked beautiful. As Nicole sat down across from Waverly and carefully placed her welcome basket underneath the table, Waverly noticed that Nicole's hat said "gay is okay!" in big letters. She couldn't help wondering if Nicole had a boyfriend, or maybe even a girlfriend. But she knew that was a thought she definitely shouldn't be having right now - especially not while she was at work with Champ.

"Okay!" Emma exclaimed, clasping her hands together as she addressed the room. "Now that everyone's here let's get started, shall we?"

At this cue, everyone flipped open their scripts to the first scene. Well, almost everyone. Waverly cleared her throat and looked over at Champ, who was sitting to her right with his arm still around her. He looked confused for a moment before realizing that his water bottle was on top of Waverly's script, dropping his arm from her shoulder so that he could move it out of the way. Waverly breathed a silent sigh of relief. She flipped open her own script to the first page just like everyone else had moments earlier.

After Emma Lee had read out the character descriptions and screen directions that would set up the film's opening scene, it was time for the actors to begin reading their lines out loud. Even though Waverly was one of the film's leads, she knew that her character didn't appear until the following scene. She uncapped her own water bottle and took a sip as she listened to the other actors read out their lines. Occasionally, Emma would interject to make a quick note or read out another set of screen directions, but the table read seemed to be off to a smooth start so far.

Since Waverly had read her script through many times, marking her lines with highlighters and each scene she appeared in with a colourful tab, she figured she could just sit back for a minute and wait for her character's entrance. As she took her eyes off her script however, Waverly happened to catch a flash of bright red hair out of the corner of her eye. It was Nicole. She seemed to be fully immersed in the read-through process, looking down intently at her own script. Waverly smiled as she watched Nicole turn the page - a genuine smile, unlike the one she had given the paparazzi earlier or the one she wore around Champ - thinking about how exciting and new this whole process must be for her. She was looking forward to officially introducing herself to Nicole later, maybe giving her some tips for her first day on set and -

Waverly suddenly felt someone nudge her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Psst Waves, it's your entrance," Champ whispered.

Waverly's eyes quickly darted away from Nicole and back to her script. Hopefully no one had noticed. She took a deep breath as she tucked her hair behind her ears, trying to steady her racing heart and return her focus to the script. Then, with thoughts of Nicole successfully pushed away for the time being, Waverly began to read out her first line.


	3. Chapter 3

The room fell silent now that the table read was over. No one dared to say a word. Instead, all eyes were fixed on Waverly Earp, who had just read out the final scene of the script. It was her dramatic voiceover that would end the film before it cut to black, leaving the audience to process what they had seen while the credits rolled. Just sitting across from Waverly and listening as she delivered those last few lines, Nicole could understand why Waverly was who she was. She didn't even feel bad for staring at her then - for feeling as captivated as she found herself - since everyone else seemed to be regarding Waverly with the same kind of admiration and awe.

"Okay, that was great!" Emma Lee exclaimed, breaking the silence. She smiled as she clasped her hands together before addressing the cast again. "Excellent work everyone. We'll see you all back here tomorrow for the first day of rehearsal - remember, call time is 9 am sharp!"

As everyone started to get up from their seats, talking amongst one another while putting on coats and tucking scripts away into bags, Nicole glanced over at Waverly and saw that she was talking with Champ again. She couldn't make out what the two of them were saying amidst the excited chatter that filled the room, but the conversation didn't appear to be the most amicable one. Champ said something to Waverly and Waverly crossed her arms in response, tilting her head to the side a little. Waverly's body language conveyed her apparent annoyance with Champ - something that Nicole couldn't help but pick up on seeing as she was a very observant person by nature. Her friends back home had even joked that she could have become a detective or police officer had she not chosen to leave college and pursue acting as a career.

Everyone else had left the room by now, and Nicole knew she should have headed out too. Her driver was waiting for her outside to take her to her hotel. Besides, why should she care what Waverly and Champ were talking about? It wasn't any of her business. Yet she found herself unable to take her eyes off of them as they argued, wondering if there was more to their seemingly perfect relationship than what the gossip magazines showed. Champ finally shook his head and walked away, leaving Waverly standing there alone as the door closed behind him.

At that moment, Nicole realized they were the only two people left in the room. Just her and Waverly Earp. Had she been in this situation with another girl she found attractive, Nicole would have gone over to talk to her, striking up conversation with her usual air of confidence. She didn't get nervous around pretty girls. But Waverly wasn't just another pretty girl and right now all Nicole wanted to do was disappear, especially after seeing her and Champ get into a private argument only moments earlier.

Suddenly, Waverly seemed to glance her way - or had she only imagined it? At any rate, Nicole's heartbeat quickened. She watched as Waverly headed for the door, then paused and walked in the opposite direction... right towards Nicole.

* * *

Waverly had been about to head home for the night, desperately wanting to get out of there after her fight with Champ. He had wanted to take her out to a nightclub after the table read, apparently not caring that both of them needed to be back at the studio early the next morning for the start of rehearsals, and Waverly was annoyed. It was already late into the night and she had planned on getting some much-needed rest, but Champ wasn't taking no for an answer. That was one of the things she disliked most about Champ - his complete disregard for not only common sense, but the feelings of others.

"Fine, go out partying and get stupid drunk," she had snapped. "See how fun that is in the morning." Then she paused. "You know, sometimes I think you forget you're not actually my boyfriend."

That last comment had seemed to make Champ mad enough to leave her alone, which was exactly what Waverly wanted. At least, Waverly had thought she was alone. She was surprised to see Nicole still there as well standing awkwardly by the table, as if waiting for permission to leave.

Waverly felt her heart race, nervous about being alone with the very girl she found herself captivated by since the moment she entered the room. Especially since she was pretty sure that Nicole liked girls too and she wasn't ready for her secret to slip out. She headed for the door, knowing that she could just go home. But, Waverly reasoned, she was an actress after all. Pretending to be something she wasn't was what she was literally paid to do... and there was nothing wrong with a friendly introduction, right?

In that moment she changed her mind, instead deciding to walk over to where Nicole was standing.

"I just realized... I haven't officially introduced myself yet!" Waverly said, smiling brightly at Nicole. "Waverly Earp. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

She extended a well-manicured hand towards Nicole, the light of the room reflecting off her pink nail polish.

Nicole reached out to shake her hand, and Waverly felt as if an electric shock had flowed through her body.

"I'm Nicole. Nicole Haught."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while since I've written more of this story and I've had lots on the go, but here's chapter 3! It's shorter than usual but I'm going to try to update more frequently. As always, feedback is welcomed :)


	4. Chapter 4

Even though Waverly had been present in the room when Nicole introduced herself to everyone just earlier that day, there was something about the way she introduced herself to Waverly that felt different - like it was an introduction specially meant for her alone. While Nicole's handshake was firm her hands were soft, something Waverly couldn't help but notice.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Nicole!" Waverly exclaimed! "Officially, I mean."

Waverly then realized that she'd held Nicole's hand for a moment too long and quickly released it from her grasp, not wanting her co-star to get the wrong impression. She kept smiling, hoping Nicole wouldn't read into the gesture as anything more than a friendly handshake... which it was. Just a friendly handshake.

 _Focus, Waverly,_ she told herself. _You barely know her. Maybe she doesn't even like girls._

Suddenly, the perfect conversation starter came to her.

"I like your hat," Waverly said, giving a nod of acknowledgement towards Nicole.

"Thanks!" Nicole said with a shy smile. "It's one of my favourites."

_Well, that was helpful._

"It's nice to see how open and supportive you are of the LGBT community," Waverly tried, hoping Nicole would confirm or deny her suspicions. She could feel her heart beating faster. "I mean, 'gay is okay!' is such a positive message and -"

Nicole looked at Waverly in amusement.

"You got me, I'm gay," she said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. "Out and proud lesbian right here. Seems like I forgot my unicorn at home though!"

Nicole laughed.

Waverly tried to hide her surprise, taken aback by how openly Nicole addressed her sexuality. Hell, she was even comfortable enough to joke about it.

_So she does like girls. But..._

"What?" Waverly asked out loud.

"What?" Nicole asked, repeating the question. Then she realized. "Oh... the unicorn thing! Yeah, that was a joke. But that's what you were trying to find out, right? If I'm gay? Well, there you go!"

Waverly blinked. She had been trying to be subtle, but Nicole was quite perceptive. Waverly made a mental note of this, realizing that she would have to be extremely conscious of how she acted around Nicole - especially when they were alone together. Which meant she definitely couldn't find herself allowing her eyes to linger on Nicole ever so slightly as they took in every detail of her appearance, from her warm brown eyes to her shaggy bob of red hair and the way her mouth was curved ever so slightly upward in a smile...

_Nope._

"So, how are you feeling about our first rehearsal tomorrow?" Waverly asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Honestly? I'm a little nervous," Nicole confided. "Because I've never been on a big set before, and... crap."

Nicole frowned as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, which was vibrating in the palm of her hand.

"What's wrong?"

"My driver's waiting outside for me, I should probably get going," Nicole said apologetically.

She put her phone back in her pocket and knelt down to retrieve her 'welcome basket' of goodies from its temporary home underneath the table.

"Oh! I'm so sorry for keeping you behind!" Waverly exclaimed. "But it was great to meet you, Nicole!"

"I think so," Nicole said, carefully balancing her welcome basket in her arms as she stood up again. "It'll be fun getting to spend more time together on set!"

"Of course!" Waverly exclaimed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It wasn't that she didn't look forward to spending more time with Nicole and getting to know her better over the course of the shoot. That wasn't it at all. She was worried about what could possibly happen if she let herself feel things for Nicole instead of pushing her feelings deep down inside of her like she'd always done.

"Also, um, I know it's probably not my place to ask but what happened between you and Champ earlier?" Nicole blurted out. "It looked like you two were arguing."

_Of course. And then there was Champ._

Waverly's expression clouded over slightly at the mere mention of his name. _So Nicole had seen that happen._

"Oh, that," she said, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "It was just a silly argument - he wanted to take me out to a club tonight but I wanted to go back to the hotel and get some rest."

Nicole frowned.

"But we have rehearsal tomorrow," she said.

"Exactly," Waverly replied. "Which is why I said no. I think sometimes he forgets he's not really -"

She had been about to say "not really my boyfriend", but she caught her slip just in time to recover. She didn't want Nicole asking too many questions.

"Not really supposed to do that, of course," Waverly continued, a falsely chipper tone in her voice. "Now there's some good advice for you!"

"Okay, no partying the night before an early rehearsal. Got it. Anyways, I should really head out!"

Nicole quickly made her way over to the door and Waverly followed, walking ahead to open it for her.

"Thanks," Nicole said, grateful for the assistance since she was carrying her welcome basket. "See you tomorrow!"

With that Nicole disappeared into the hallway, on her way to meet her driver outside.

Once Waverly arrived at her hotel room that night, she felt like she could relax a little. This was the kind of comfortable accommodation she'd grown accustomed to. While the whole main cast would be at the same 5-star hotel, she was staying in the royal suite on the top floor. It was incredibly lavish, with expensive furniture and a beautiful view looking out onto the city. As much as she didn't care for the constant speculation about her personal life that came with stardom, she had to admit being a big celebrity had its perks.

She kicked off her shoes as she sat down on one of the suede couches, relaxing into it. Then she took her phone out from her purse, connecting to the hotel wi-fi before going on Twitter. After scrolling through her feed for a few minutes, Waverly decided to make a quick tweet about the table read. She attached the picture she'd taken earlier of her place card in front of her script and water bottle, adding the hashtags #excited!! #day1 and #welcometopurgatory before tweeting it out to her hundreds of thousands of followers.

Waverly was just about to close out of the app and put her phone away when a new notification popped up, saying that someone named @HaughtChickNic had just followed her. Waverly couldn't help but smile upon realizing that she recognized the person in the icon - it was Nicole. Her profile picture was a selfie of her holding a fluffy ginger cat. She went to Nicole's profile, letting her finger hover above the "follow" button for a moment before following her back. "Actor, cat lover, adventurer," her profile read. "#LoveIsLove." There was a little Pride flag emoji beside the hashtag to show that Nicole was out and proud, just as she'd said. Waverly could never imagine putting something like that in her own bio. Then again, Nicole only had a little over a thousand followers and she had close to a million. _Big difference._

It was getting late so Waverly got ready for bed, making sure to set the alarm on her phone for the next day. She needed to be up by 6 AM in order to have enough time to look presentable before arriving on set. Thoughts of her argument with Champ and her conversation with Nicole filled her mind, but she pushed them away, trying instead to mentally go over her lines to take her mind off things. It took a few minutes but eventually Waverly found herself drifting off to sleep, ready for whatever the next day would bring. Or at least, she hoped she would be.


	5. Chapter 5

Nicole groaned as she heard her alarm go off, instinctively reaching for her phone to silence the incessant beeping. The noise was effective but also annoying, which she realized was the entire point. Eyes still closed, she fully expected to feel the familiar wooden frame of her nightstand next to her. Instead, her outstretched hand met cool marble, much to her confusion. Nicole opened her eyes. It took her a moment to remember that she wasn’t in her own bedroom - instead, she was in a hotel room. A hotel room that would become her home for the next few weeks. She grabbed her phone to turn off the alarm and saw that the screen was brightly lit up with the time: 7:30 AM.

Nicole sighed. She knew she needed to leave the comfort of her new bed soon and get ready for the day. She was just about to set her phone down and make her way to the shower when a new notification caught her eye.

“@MissWaverlyEarp followed you back!”

Nicole rubbed her eyes, wanting to make sure she was seeing the notification correctly. She opened it to view and it took her straight to Waverly’s Twitter account, confirming that yes, the Waverly Earp had in fact just followed her. A smile spread across Nicole’s face. She knew it wasn’t uncommon for the cast and crew of a film to follow each other on social media, but waking up to see the notification that Waverly had followed her made her heart skip a beat.

After a quick scroll through Waverly’s recent tweets (which included a cute selfie and a few tweets about travelling) and ‘liking’ her tweet about having started filming on Welcome To Purgatory, Nicole hit the shower. After she had showered, she got dressed quickly in the clothes she had set out - a casual yet presentable outfit consisting of a blue button-down shirt and dark jeans - and then took the elevator down to the lobby.

When she got there she walked outside to find Stephanie waiting in a black SUV with a smile, ready to drive her to set. Stephanie opened the passenger door to let Nicole in. Once Nicole had greeted her driver and put her seatbelt on, she closed the car door and they were off, embarking on the short journey to the set.

Even though it was an early call time and Nicole would have much rather preferred a few extra hours of sleep, she arrived on set wide awake, Waverly’s Twitter follow having given her a newfound excitement. As she stepped into the studio armed with her script and a thermos of coffee, Nicole looked around, taking in the scenery surrounding her. She felt overwhelmed by the elaborate sets and fancy filmmaking technology that took up a large part of the space, much of it unfamiliar to her. Even the few elements of a film set she recognized had been transformed into something bigger and more imposing; there were countless lights and cameras set up, for instance, and a whole lot of action. Everywhere she looked, people were running around the studio trying to make sure everything was in place for the first rehearsal.

_Wow._

_So this was what it was like to be part of a big-budget film,_ she thought while walking around set. It was nothing like she’d ever seen before, which made her excited about what the day would bring - especially since she knew that one of the scenes they were scheduled to rehearse was a scene between her and Waverly.

She thought back to her conversation with Waverly after their first table read last night. Even though it had been cut short due to both of them needing to get some rest, their brief interaction had sparked something inside Nicole. She felt even more driven to deliver the best performance she possibly could. Not to impress Waverly, though. This wasn’t about trying to win the superstar’s admiration - it was about proving that she belonged there just as much as everyone else. At least, that’s what Nicole told herself.

It was in that moment she happened to catch a glimpse of Waverly. She was sitting in one of the chairs and wearing an off-the-shoulder floral top, her long honey blonde hair pulled back into loosely plaited waves. A pair of sunglasses were delicately positioned on top of her head, and in one hand she held what appeared to be a Starbucks cup. And perhaps most noticeably, she was without Champ. Nicole wondered for a brief moment if she had witnessed the end of Waverly and Champ’s relationship last night. _Maybe she should go over and try to strike up a conversation with her before the day’s rehearsal started? Pick up where they left off earlier..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Emma Lee’s arrival on set. The director strode into the room with a binder tucked under her arm and a bright smile, making her presence known.

“Good morning everyone!” Emma exclaimed. “Glad you all could make it.”

Nicole glanced around the room, recognizing a few faces from the table read. There were only about five or six others there, all of whom played minor roles in the film.

As if on cue, it was at that very moment Champ sauntered into the room. He wore dark sunglasses, obviously still hungover from the night’s partying.

“Including you, Champ,” Emma said, singling him out.

Champ seemed unfazed, taking off his sunglasses and putting a hand on Waverly’s shoulder. Waverly forced a smile, but Nicole could tell that she was less than impressed by Champ’s behavior.

She didn’t understand why Waverly put up with him. He was the very embodiment of white male privilege, an entitled jerk who thought he could get away with being disrespectful because of his celebrity status. And he wasn’t even that attractive.

“Okay,” Emma said, opening her binder and flipping through to find the schedule, “the first scene we’re going through today is the scene between Kyle and Sierra arriving in town, followed by the scene a few pages later with Leah and Sierra at the house... and then we’ll break for lunch. Sound good?”

The cast nodded, collectively voicing their agreement.

“Perfect!” Emma exclaimed.

She flipped over to her copy of the script, looking at the notes she’d made. “So Waverly and Champ,” - she gestured to where the pair was standing - “can I get you to come this way?

Waverly got up from her chair and Champ followed as they walked over to join Emma.

“As for everyone else,” Emma said, “you can just hang out here until we need you.”

Nicole watched as Emma, Waverly, and Champ walked over to the set that was stationed in the opposite corner of the room.

“I didn’t want to say it while he was here, but I can’t stand that guy.”

Nicole turned around to locate the source of the voice and found that no one else was around except for a young, darker-skinned man. He had a mop of curly black hair and looked as if he were around her age.

“Oh uh, I’m Jeremy by the way.”

“Nicole. And don’t worry... I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a big fan of his either.”

Jeremy laughed. Then Nicole lowered her voice so that it was just out of earshot.

“Wait, you are talking about Champ, right?”

Jeremy nodded.

“You betcha. And isn’t he Waverly’s boyfriend?”

Nicole sighed, glancing over to where her co-stars were rehearsing their scene in the distance.

“Unfortunately.”

This remark seemed to pique Jeremy’s interest.

“It is unfortunate,” he said. “She could be with anyone else...”

“Oh, are you into her?”

Nicole tried not to sound disappointed.

“Waverly? No!”

Jeremy laughed, as if Nicole had just asked him if he thought unicorns were real.

“I uh, play for the other team too,” Jeremy explained. “If you know what I mean.”

“Oh!” Nicole exclaimed, catching on. Jeremy was gay as well. “Well that’s a relief.”

“Wait... are you into her?”

Jeremy’s question threw Nicole off guard. She wasn’t into Waverly... was she?

“What? No!” Nicole exclaimed. “Besides even if I was, she doesn’t swing that way. And she’s with Champ.”

She laughed nervously, hoping that she was able to convince not only Jeremy but herself that there was no way she had feelings for Waverly Earp.

“Sounds like someone might have a crush,” Jeremy teased.

Nicole felt her cheeks grow hot. Well, so much for convincing.

“Okay sure, maybe I like her a little,” Nicole admitted. “But it’s not a crush... I barely even know her!”

Jeremy smirked.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

He made the motion of zipping his lips shut.

Nicole didn’t know what to say, but thankfully Jeremy spoke up again in an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness.

“Since we have a bit of time to kill, wanna play cards or something? I brought a deck.”

Nicole smiled, grateful for the distraction.

“Sounds fun, I’m in!”

Jeremy and Nicole were midway through their second game of Crazy Eights when Emma’s assistant came up to them holding a clipboard.

“Emma told me to come get you,” she said to Nicole. “We’re ready to go through your first scene with Waverly.”

Sure enough, Champ was already walking back as the assistant spoke.

“Well, looks like you win this round,” Nicole commented as she set down her deck of cards and followed Emma.

“Have fun!” Jeremy said. There was a playfulness to his tone Nicole knew was meant in a suggestive way.

Nicole blushed.

She was excited to go rehearse her first scene, there was no question about it. But Nicole also couldn’t help feeling a nervous kind of excitement too since she would be working closely with Waverly Earp, who she maybe-kind-of liked. Liking her didn’t mean she had a crush though; the very idea of having a crush on Waverly was in strict violation of Nicole’s self-imposed rule of not having celebrity crushes. And it would just be her, Waverly, and Emma there to watch and make sure everything was running smoothly. _What could go wrong?_

As she walked behind Emma’s assistant, following her over to the set they’d be using, Nicole could see Waverly’s petite figure come closer into view. Waverly seemed to have spotted Nicole too, giving her a small wave from the front porch of the “house” they were using. Nicole felt her heart flutter at the gesture, but she forced herself to stay focused. This was her job. And Waverly was straight. She had to be focused and professional... and literally play the role of the best friend. _Waverly’s_ best friend, nonetheless. This was going to be one hell of a long day.

 


	6. Chapter 6

While her career had taken off and she’d become quite successful in the industry, Waverly often wondered if she had made the right decision to become an actress. It was a thought that she was usually able to push aside, chalking it up to either having a little too much to drink or not enough sleep, but she found that it weighed on her mind more frequently as of late - especially now that _Welcome to Purgatory_ had begun production. Despite the fact that her relationship with Champ was purely for publicity and she had no real feelings for her co-star, Waverly had always been able to fake it. She would force herself to look like she enjoyed his affection and smile her way through awkward interview questions, pretending to be the very picture of lovestruck innocence that her adoring public bought into. _Little did they know,_ she thought to herself.

Waverly had come to feel like she was constantly acting whether the cameras were rolling or not, calculating every small move she made just to maintain her carefully constructed image. It seemed as if all eyes were on her at all times - whether she was walking a red carpet at the premiere of her newest film or simply grabbing a coffee with a friend. She found it exhausting to constantly be the center of attention, but she supposed that was the price of fame. And, she reasoned, it was far easier to deal with paparazzi asking her a barrage of questions about Champ than it would ever be to go public with her true feelings. If faking a relationship with Champ Hardy meant Waverly could continue living the life she’d grown accustomed to without ever having to tell the world she wasn’t straight, she was more than willing to keep up the act. Besides, even though she knew she liked girls, it wasn’t like there were any girls she actually had feelings for. And then Nicole Haught happened to walk through the door on that first day of production.

Since introducing herself to Nicole shortly after their table read, Waverly couldn’t help but find her thoughts being constantly drawn towards the redhead. After she had arrived on set that morning and discovered the first scenes she’d be rehearsing would both be with Nicole, she felt a sudden rush of excitement course through her. Waverly told herself that it was simply because she was looking forward to working with her new friend - they were friends, right? - but deep down inside, she knew that wasn’t the full truth.

From where she stood on the front porch of the house that had been constructed for their set, Waverly could see Nicole walking towards her. Emma Lee’s assistant was following not too far behind. Waverly smiled and gave a small wave in Nicole’s direction, her stomach fluttering with nervous excitement. As Nicole drew closer Waverly felt her heart rate increase, not knowing what their next interaction would bring.

“Nicole! Hi!” Waverly greeted, voice pitching slightly upward as the redhead reached the front steps. She glanced around and noticed that Emma’s assistant had already begun walking back to the other side of the studio, leaving the two alone.

Waverly cleared her throat, quickly regaining her composure. “So, are you ready for our first scene?”

“I sure am,” Nicole replied with a nod. Her expression was one of seriousness, a keen determination shining in her eyes. “How about you?”

Their eyes met as Nicole spoke, hazel staring into brown, and Waverly felt her stomach do a flip. _Focus, Waverly,_ she told herself. _She’s just asking you a simple question, nothing more._

Remembering where she was, Waverly quickly diverted her gaze from Nicole, instead looking up at the exterior of the house that served as their set. She began running through her lines in her head just as she had done the night before when she was trying to sleep, attempting to clear her thoughts of a certain person who occupied them. Namely, a certain attractive redhead who happened to be standing right in front of her.

“Of course I’m ready,” Waverly finally said, clasping her hands together and giving a nod of her own in return as she looked back at Nicole. _She could do this._ “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Waverly had always found it easy to immerse herself in the roles she played. Whether she was a preppy cheerleader, a Victorian era villain or, as it was in this case, a demon-killing heroine, she had a natural talent for fully embodying whatever character she needed to become. Pretending to be someone she wasn’t came easily to her. Except this time, Waverly had an extra acting challenge that would possibly end up being her most difficult one yet: pretending to be straight around Nicole Haught. As Waverly rehearsed her first few scenes with Nicole though, she remembered why she loved her job so much. For a little while, she was able to forget about the thoughts clouding her mind as she disappeared into her character.

Also, Waverly quickly discovered that Nicole was a very giving scene partner. She would play off Waverly’s energy and respond with a line delivery of her own that felt equally organic. Her enthusiasm and passion for the craft came across as genuine, which was something that Waverly greatly appreciated. Far too often she’d found herself forced to work alongside jaded industry veterans who more or less phoned in their performances. It was exhausting at times, with Waverly feeling like she had to step up her game to compensate for the lack of effort they put in. But the energy Nicole brought to set was a refreshing change - in fact, it was a quality that made Waverly feel even more drawn to the redhead.

The rehearsal with Nicole had gone much more smoothly than Waverly had expected, much to her surprise. There had been no awkward silences that passed between them or glances that lingered a moment too long, and they were down to their last scene of the day. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all, Waverly thought.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Leah,” Waverly recited, delivering her final line of the scene. She bit her lip as she looked to Nicole - or more accurately, Nicole’s character - for reassurance.

“Of course you can,” Nicole-as-Leah replied with a smile. “Besides, you’ve got me.” Then, before Waverly had time to react, Nicole’s arms were wrapped around her in a tight hug.

Waverly froze, caught off guard by the affectionate gesture. The hug between the two friends had been in the script, so she shouldn’t have been at all surprised when it happened. However, it was another thing entirely for Waverly to read that their characters were hugging than it was to actually be on the receiving end of a hug from Nicole. Waverly found herself breathing in the sweet fragrance of Nicole’s perfume as she listened to her heartbeat, which was beating at a quick but steady rate. It was the most intimate physical contact the two of them had shared, and she desperately hoped that the sound of her own racing heart had managed to quiet itself somehow.

She had only been in Nicole’s arms for a brief moment when Nicole suddenly pulled away from the hug, causing Waverly to have a silent moment of panic. She wondered if she’d somehow done something to make her co-star uncomfortable. Then Waverly quickly snapped back to reality, realizing that there was no reason for the hug to have lasted any longer than it did. The scene was over.

“Okay! That was great!” Waverly exclaimed.

Her heart was still beating quickly as she thought about the way hugging Nicole had felt.

“Yeah,” Nicole agreed as she smiled at Waverly. “It sure was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted a chapter... hopefully this update was worth the wait!


	7. Chapter 7

Part of Nicole had longed to stay in that moment forever, arms wrapped around Waverly and holding her close like it was the most natural thing in the world. She wanted nothing more than to allow herself to get lost in Waverly’s hazel eyes as she breathed her in, taking in the sweetness and softness of her. But that sense of comfort Nicole felt was the very reason why she had to break away from the hug. She couldn’t allow herself to become too comfortable around Waverly and risk exposing her true feelings - feelings that were slowly developing into something more than just an innocent crush. However, there was something that puzzled Nicole.

After she’d broken away from the scripted embrace, she couldn’t help but notice Waverly’s expression change. For a moment, panic had seemed to flicker behind Waverly’s eyes, briefly clouding her expression over before she quickly returned to her usual sunny self. It had looked to Nicole almost as if Waverly was scared of something. _Which was a silly thought,_ Nicole told herself, _considering who Waverly was._ There was no way Waverly Earp - a girl who did most of her own stunts, handled paparazzi on a daily basis, and went deep sea diving (Nicole knew that last fact thanks to one of the magazines she’d flipped through at the airport) - could possibly be afraid of anything. And besides, what was there to be scared of? For a moment, Nicole wondered if just maybe Waverly hadn’t wanted the hug to end either. _If she had dared to hold onto Waverly a moment longer, would either of them have let go?_

Nicole shook that thought away though, remembering that it was all part of a scene they were playing out. She was probably just reading too much into things, like she always did. It was a friendly hug between two characters who were best friends - nothing more. Besides, who knew what was going through Waverly’s mind at that exact moment? Whatever it was, it probably had nothing to do with her. Maybe she’d just suddenly remembered about something important she needed to do later.

_Yeah. That was probably it._

With rehearsal finally over for the day, Nicole went to retrieve her belongings. As she was putting on her coat, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see that Jeremy was standing behind her.

“Oh hey, Jeremy!”

“Hey,” Jeremy echoed, giving an awkward wave. “Are you doing anything tonight?”

“Nope, no plans at all right now... why?”

“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come hang out with us.”

“Us?” Nicole asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

“Whoops, I should’ve been more specific. Some of us from the cast and crew are going out bowling tonight, wanna come?”

“Oh cool, sounds like fun!” Nicole exclaimed. “I’d love to!”

Then, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

“Is Waverly coming?”

Nicole’s eyes lit up with excitement at the possibility of getting to see Waverly outside of work.

Jeremy shook his head.

“Ah... nope. Sorry to disappoint. Hope you’re still interested.”

Nicole sighed.

Jeremy chuckled wryly, and Nicole could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. She had to stop being so hung up on Waverly. Ever since their eyes had met from across the room yesterday, she couldn’t get her off her mind.

Nicole thought about the invite for a moment, realizing that a fun night out with Jeremy and some potential new friends (she already counted Jeremy as a friend) was exactly what she needed right now to get her mind off of Waverly.

“Oh, I’m definitely still interested! Waverly or no Waverly, I’ll be there.”

Jeremy grinned.

“What?” Nicole asked him.

“You just said her name twice in one sentence.”

Nicole blushed.

“Shut up,” she said, playfully elbowing him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Waverly and Champ heading out the door together, hand in hand. Nicole could have sworn that Waverly had glanced her way as she turned to leave, but maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Without a second thought, she turned back to Jeremy.

“Okay, let’s go!”

* * *

 Since it was a weeknight, the bowling alley was much quieter than usual - aside from their little group, of course. After letting Stephanie know she wouldn’t be needing a ride back to her hotel until later since she was going out and Jeremy’s driver was already there, Nicole, Jeremy, and about 5 others from the cast and crew had piled into a black SUV and headed down to Bowlerama.

On the drive there, Nicole had introduced herself to the others, quickly realizing she didn’t recognize anyone aside from Emma Lee’s assistant, whose name she soon learned was Alyson. There was also Perry and Mattie, both of who had supporting roles in the movie, as well as Mercedes and Beth, twin sisters who worked behind the scenes in props and set design, respectively. Waverly and Champ, of course, were nowhere to be found.

Since there was an even number of them (including Jeremy’s driver, Gavin) they decided to split into two teams. Nicole, Mercedes, Perry and Mattie formed the first team while Jeremy, Gavin, Beth, and Alyson made up the second.

“We should have team names!” Perry suggested.

Jeremy nodded.

“Nicole, I’ve got the perfect one for your team,” he said as he laced up his bowling shoes.

“What is it?”

Please don’t say anything about Waverly, Nicole silently prayed.

“The Haught-shots!” Jeremy exclaimed. “Get it, because of your last name?”

Nicole laughed.

“You know what? I actually like it!”

She turned to the rest of her team.

“How do we feel about being called the Haught-shots, guys?”

“Wait... your last name’s actually hot? Like h-o-t?” Mercedes asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nicole couldn’t help but feel like Mercedes was judging her based on her name alone.

“H-a-u-g-h-t,” Nicole quickly corrected her, crossing her arms. “And yes.”

Mercedes smiled.

“Love it.”

“Really?” Nicole asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah! It’s so much better than my last name... Gardner. Ugh.”

“What’s wrong with Gardner?” Nicole asked, curious.

“People always think it’s what we do for a living, not who we are,” Beth explained.

“Exactly! If I tell someone “I’m a Gardner,” they ask me what kind of plants I’m growing.”

Mercedes scowled.

Nicole tried to stifle a laugh.

_And to think she’d thought her last name had its problems._

“I vote yes to the Haught-shots by the way,” Mercedes said. “Mattie, Perry?”

“Fine with me,” Mattie replied, shrugging.

“Yeah, I’m cool with it,” Perry said.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a team name,” Mercedes said with a grin. “You better be good at bowling, Haught.”

* * *

 As it turned out, Nicole was in fact a pretty good bowler. After a rough start in the first frame, she had gone on to consistently knock down most of the pins, getting a spare every few frames. Her teammates seemed to be able to hold their own too. It was a close game, the Haught-shots currently taking the lead over Opteamus Prime (again, the name had been Jeremy’s suggestion).

They were down to the last frame now, and Nicole was the last to bowl. She took a deep breath as she picked up the blue bowling ball, feeling the weight of it in her hands.

“You can do it!” Mattie shouted from her seat.

“You got this, Haught!”

Nicole closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. The image of Waverly and Champ leaving the studio together earlier popped into her mind. She knew it shouldn’t bother her so much that they were together, especially since she knew she didn’t have a chance with Waverly, but Waverly still deserved better than him. Nicole took a deep breath, channeling all of her pent-up emotions into that bowling ball. She pictured Champ in the place of the center pin, stepped back, swung, and...

_Strike._

Her teammates jumped up from the bench, letting out an excited shout the second the pins crashed down.

The Haught-shots had just won the game, handily beating Opteamus Prime - a victory that was in part thanks to Nicole’s frustration-fuelled throw.

Her teammates hugged and high-fived her, and even Jeremy came over, clapping her on the back.

“Good game,” he said, smiling. “You guys were awesome out there.”

Nicole knew he genuinely meant it.

“Thanks, Jeremy!” she said, giving him a hug.

“Okay... I can’t be the only one who’s hungry now,” Jeremy said, addressing the group. “Who wants pizza?”

* * *

 Meanwhile at a fancy restaurant on the other side of town, Waverly and Champ sat across the table from each other, neither one saying much. It had been Champ’s idea to take Waverly there on a date as an attempt to make up for their argument the previous night, and Waverly had reluctantly agreed. She was trying to convince herself that she could make this “relationship” with Champ work - a task that had come to feel increasingly forced lately. Sitting at the restaurant with him though, the reality was that she would have rather been anywhere else, with anyone else. Especially if that someone happened to be Nicole.

Waverly took a sip of her wine, pretending to be engrossed in the food menu even though it didn’t interest her in the least. Champ clearly hadn’t taken her dietary preferences into consideration. With a sigh, she closed the menu.

Another moment of silence passed between them before Champ spoke up.

“Waves... are you still mad at me about the other night?”

 _Of course not,_ Waverly wanted to say. _Everything is perfectly fine, and I’m more than happy to be here._

Instead, she just sighed.

“Look, I know I haven’t been the best boyfriend lately...”

Upon hearing those words, something inside Waverly snapped.

“Who said you’re my boyfriend?”

Champ was taken aback.

“Uhhh... you did.”

“Did I, though?” Waverly asked, in a tone that could almost be described as accusatory. “Because when I agreed to be in a relationship with you, I never actually called myself your girlfriend. Not once. You’ve just been treating me like I am... and doing a really crappy job.”

Champ opened his mouth to speak, but Waverly cut him off.

“You go out drinking and partying, without caring about work, or about anyone really, besides yourself, and then,” - Waverly raised her voice as she gestured to their surroundings - “out of all places, you decide to take me to a _steakhouse_ for dinner? In case you forgot, I’m _vegan_.”

“Oh shit,” Champ mumbled.

Waverly’s eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at a sheepish looking Champ from across the table.

“If we were actually dating, you would have known that about me. But guess what? We’re not.”

 _And we never will be,_ Waverly wanted to add.

“But... what about the movie?” Champ asked, reaching for Waverly’s hand. “We’re supposed to play a couple, remember?”

Waverly pulled her hand away.

“I think we’ve both had more than enough practice with that,” she said cooly.

Then, Waverly got up from the table.

“Wait... where are you going?”

“We’re done, Champ,” she replied. “Yeah... we’re done with whatever this was. And after the movie wraps, I’m done pretending to be your onscreen girlfriend too.”

Waverly couldn’t help but smile as she walked out of the restaurant with her heart pounding in her chest, leaving a bewildered looking Champ behind. She’d really done it. _She’d really ended their “relationship”._

As soon as she stepped out the door, she swore she saw a flash of light come from the other side of the street. _Of course there were paparazzi outside._ She was hardly surprised since they seemed to follow her every move. They had probably been lurking behind a bush, watching the whole blowout go down. With her luck, it would be all over the gossip sites tomorrow. Still, she didn’t let that dampen her mood. Realizing that she no longer had a ride back to her hotel since she’d left him sitting inside the restaurant, Waverly called her driver. Fortunately, she happened to be nearby.

* * *

 Once she got back to the hotel and was in the privacy of her own room, Waverly wasted no time in calling the one person she desperately needed to talk to right now. _Her sister._

The phone rang for a moment, before the person on the other end picked up.

“Wynonna?”

“Hey, sis.”

Waverly could hear loud music in the background, presumably coming from some kind of bar.

“I just ended things with Champ,” Waverly blurted out, the words taking her by surprise as if she couldn’t quite believe them herself.

“Oh shit... for real?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay, baby girl?” Wynonna asked. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Waverly quickly assured her sister. “I’m totally fine - I swear!”

“Good,” Wynonna said. “Because you know if he hurt you, I’d fly right over there and kick his ass.”

Waverly couldn’t help but laugh.

Wynonna could be fiercely protective, but it was one of the characteristics Waverly admired in her older sister. And after what had happened to their other sister, Willa, she couldn’t fault her for it. Waverly bit her lip, thinking about how close she and Wynonna were. It was one of the reasons why she was so hesitant to tell her sister that she liked girls - she didn’t want to lose the bond they shared. Especially since it had already been a little strained before they reconnected a few years ago. But maybe, Waverly thought, she didn’t have to tell Wynonna the whole truth for a while. Maybe she could casually mention little things here and there in that hinted at her true feelings, so by the time she actually felt ready to come out to Wynonna, it wouldn’t come as such a shock.

“Hey, Wyn?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever heard of Nicole Haught?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I’m back! You probably didn’t think this fic was going to continue, right? Well, it definitely is. Sorry to keep you waiting for the next chapter... I plan on updating much sooner in the future ;) As always, comments and/or kudos are much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

Since it turned out that Wynonna hadn’t heard of Nicole, Waverly wasted no time in telling her sister all about her new co-star.

 

“So she’s from Chicago, and she’s only been in a few indie films. She has a really cute dog she likes to take hiking. Oh, and her character is my character’s best friend...”

 

Waverly hoped Wynonna wouldn’t think anything of how quickly she’d changed the topic from her breakup to gushing over her wonderful new friend. She’d been talking about Nicole for a solid minute but was careful to spare some of the more... intimate details. For example, like how she’d noticed Nicole always smelled like vanilla dip donuts. _Which happened to be her favourite._

 

“Wait. Her last name’s seriously _hot_?”

 

Waverly could hear the amusement in her sister’s voice.

 

“Yeah, Nicole Haught.”

 

She couldn’t help but smile as she said Nicole’s name.

 

“Well, is she?”

 

“Is she what?” Waverly asked, confused.

 

“You know... hot!”

 

Waverly froze, her heart beat quickening.

 

“Ummm... she’s attractive, I guess?”

 

It came out sounding like more of a question than Waverly intended.

 

Wynonna laughed.

 

“So she’s more lukewarm than hot, got it.”

 

“No! She’s... she’s...

 

Waverly tried to find the right word that would show her aesthetic appreciation for Nicole without sounding like she was into her, but came up short. Then an idea came to her. Even if she wasn’t at all ready to tell Wynonna about her, maybe she could tell her about Nicole. It would be a perfect way to test the waters.

 

“She’s gay!”

 

Silence.

 

As soon as the words were out of Waverly’s mouth, she instantly regretted her decision. Even though she’d talked about a lot with her sister as they began rebuilding their relationship, the topic of sexuality wasn’t something that had ever really come up. What if Wynonna had a problem with Nicole being gay? And if _Nicole_ being gay was a problem, then what would she think if she knew that her own _sister_ liked girls too?

 

“Oh!” Wynonna exclaimed. “Okay... um, cool. Not sure why that’s relevant, but great!”

 

Waverly’s eyes widened. That wasn’t the response she’d expected. Wynonna seemed totally fine with it - which was encouraging.

 

“Is she, you know, uh...?” Wynonna continued before trailing off.

 

“Out?” Waverly offered hesitantly. “Yeah. Out and proud, that’s her!”

 

Waverly laughed, trying to ignore the way her stomach was doing flips.

 

“You know what?”

 

“What?”

 

“I think I’d like this Nicole chick,” Wynonna mused. “She sounds cool, keeps it real... no bullshit. I respect that. Must not be easy being out in the industry, huh?”

 

Waverly felt faint.

 

What started out as testing the waters had quickly turned into wading in a little deeper than she was comfortable with. In a matter of seconds, Wynonna had managed to praise Nicole’s openness and reaffirm Waverly’s fear, sending her thoughts spiralling. It was too much for her to deal with right now. She didn’t know how to respond, and those flips in her stomach had turned into full-on cartwheels of anxiety.

 

“I have to go,” Waverly suddenly said.

 

“Waves? Everything okay?”

 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Waverly lied, trying not to let her voice falter. “I just... need to get some sleep. Early call time tomorrow!”

 

“Waves-“

 

“Sorry, gotta go... bye!”

 

As soon as Waverly ended the call, she broke down into tears. She told herself to take deep breaths, thoughts racing through her mind a million miles an hour.

 

_If she came out to Wynonna, would she be just as accepting of her as she was of Nicole? And even if Wynonna accepted her, would the world ever do the same?_

 

“Must not be easy being out in the industry, huh?”

 

Wynonna’s words rang in Waverly’s ears. Maybe she should have never called it quits with Champ - it would make life a lot easier. _No,_ she quickly reminded herself. _You don’t love him, and you deserve better._

 

She liked Nicole though. She really, really, liked Nicole. Why then was it seemingly impossible for her to act from her heart instead of from the same script she’d been following all her life, and stop caring what the world thought about her every damn second?

 

Waverly took a deep breath, realizing exactly what she needed to do.

 

_She needed a night out._

 

_She needed her girls._

 

Waverly scrolled through the messages on her phone until she found the group chat between her and her two closest friends, Chrissy and Rosita, who were in the industry as well.

 

_Either of you lovelies free this weekend? Really could use a girls’ night x_

 

Waverly sent the message, hoping that at least one of her friends would be around. Their “girls’ nights” usually involved hitting the town for what they called the “three ‘d’s” - dinner, dancing, and drinks. It was the perfect way for the trio to catch up and not have to worry about anything else in their crazy lives for a night. Plus, it had been a while since the three of them had found time in their crazy schedules to see each other.

 

Waverly’s phone lit up with a string of texts from Chrissy.

 

_Count me in!!_

_I’m actually on assignment in Toronto right now - how perfect is that?!_

_Also hope you’re okay after the breakup! Always here for you Wave <3_

 

Waverly smiled. While her heart was far from broken, it meant a lot that Chrissy asked how she was doing. And it was a perfect coincidence that she happened to be around... the timing couldn’t have been better.

 

A few minutes later, Rosita texted back as well.

 

_Not in Toronto but I can be by the weekend... the magic of private jets, right ladies? ;) Where and when? (Also, how’s the single life treating you?)_

 

Both Chrissy and Rosita were officially down for a girl’s night, and Waverly was thrilled. Her mood instantly lifted, she quickly texted her friends back.

 

_YAY!! I can’t wait to see you girls again!_

_And thank you both so much... haven’t quite been feeling myself lately but a night out should do some good! xx <3_

Waverly smiled as she sent the text. She wasn’t sure how the day’s rehearsal would go since she’d have to be in the same space as Champ and Nicole once again, but knowing she’d be reunited with her best friends in a few days somehow made everything more bearable. Now she just needed to get some sleep to be ready to face the day ahead... including the inevitable media frenzy in the wake of her breakup with Champ.

* * *

When Nicole woke up the next morning, she was already in a good mood for a number of reasons. First of all, she’d been able to sleep in for the first time in a while since her call time for the day’s rehearsal wasn’t until later. Having a sleep that went uninterrupted by the shrill beeping of her phone alarm made a world of difference when it came to her overall mood. Then she thought back to last night, smiling as she remembered the fun evening out she’d had with her new friends from the cast and crew. They’d bonded over bowling and pizza, creating a real sense of camaraderie amongst them - which was something Nicole had been missing in her life ever since she’d moved to the big city. As well, the night had served as a much-needed distraction from her thoughts about a certain co-star. She’d managed to keep Waverly off her mind nearly the whole time, except for a few fleeting thoughts. Now that it was morning however, those thoughts resurfaced without warning. 

Nicole couldn’t help but wonder how Waverly’s night with Champ had gone. At least, she assumed they’d spent the evening together after seeing Champ take Waverly by the hand after rehearsal, leading her away from the studio. Away from Nicole. Not that there was actually anything going on between the two of them, of course. Still, she could have sworn Waverly would rather have been anywhere else than with that... boy-man. It annoyed her to no end that Champ seemed to treat Waverly like she was a piece of property that belonged to him, and Waverly, for whatever reason, was okay with that.

 

_So much for being detached._

 

Nicole sighed, leaning her head back into her pillow. She then instinctively reached out to grab her phone, not even needing to glance over as she retrieved it from its usual place on her nightstand. No missed calls or texts. There were, however, several new Twitter notifications. She’d observed that her follower count seemed to have grown somewhat after Waverly had followed her. After unlocking her phone and opening up the Twitter app, Nicole braced herself for the inevitable. Most likely she’d find herself bombarded with paparazzi pictures of Waverly and Champ out at some party or restaurant together, and maybe even a tweet from Waverly about what an amazing night she had.

 

When the app loaded, Nicole instantly saw that “Waverly Earp” was a global trending topic. She tapped on Waverly’s name, intrigued. Just as expected, her screen instantly became flooded with pictures from the night before of Waverly and Champ at a fancy restaurant. Except... something wasn’t right. It looked like Waverly was walking away from their table, and she appeared pretty pissed off.

 

“From IT couple to SPLIT couple!” the headline of a gossip blog screamed. “Hollywood sweetheart Waverly Earp stormed out of a restaurant last night after breaking things off with ex-lover Champ Hardy!”

 

_Wait... breaking things off?_

 

Nicole rubbed the sleep from her eyes, making sure that she wasn’t imagining things. Sure enough, she scrolled down to see tweet after tweet about Waverly and Champ breaking up, complete with more grainy paparazzi shots of the former couple arguing. Nicole’s heart raced, realization setting in.

 

_Waverly was free._

 

With Champ now relegated to strictly playing the part of Waverly’s onscreen love interest, Nicole didn’t have to feel as guilty about her feelings for her co-star. Nicole felt inexplicably giddy at the thought before reality came crashing in, reminding herself once again that Waverly was most likely straight. But Nicole’s mind flashed back to the look on Waverly’s face after they’d hugged, and suddenly she wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t help but feel that there was a spark of something between them, something that maybe, just maybe, she’d now get the chance to explore... only if Waverly wanted to, of course.

 

Nicole really hoped she wasn’t reading things wrong, that Waverly wasn’t just being extra friendly with her. Because as hard as she’d tried to not catch feelings for Waverly Earp, those feelings had caught up to her and lodged themselves right inside her heart. And there was no sign of them leaving any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for keeping you all waiting so long for the next chapter! But I’m back at it and hopefully the only thing I’ll be slow at doing when it comes to updating this fic now is slow burning ;)


	9. Chapter 9

After a frustrating few days of rehearsal, Nicole wondered if maybe she had been reading too much into things with Waverly after all. Of course, it wasn’t like she’d expected to show up on set and have Waverly suddenly flinging herself at her now that she wasn’t with Champ. Nicole knew better than to entertain that thought. While she may have considered herself to be a romantic, Nicole was also a realist - a trait she prided herself on. It meant she could allow herself to fantasize and yet not be too disappointed when reality didn’t play out exactly like the scenarios she dreamt of. She’d experienced disappointment in her own life many times, in failed auditions and relationships that fizzled out. Despite all of that, Nicole had always chosen to keep her head held high, approaching situations with levelheadedness and resiliency. It was why a career aptitude test she once took told her she would make a good cop - a career path Nicole had seriously considered at one point before deciding to chase her acting dreams.

As for what had happened between her and Waverly over the past few days of rehearsal... well, _nothing_ had happened. And that was exactly why Nicole was frustrated. They’d run their lines and rehearsed their blocking, every move scripted as they went through the motions. That spark of possibility Nicole once felt between them had become virtually non-existent, her co-star seemingly doing everything she could to extinguish it. In fact, it was as if Waverly had decided to close herself off entirely from Nicole. She wouldn’t even so much as make eye contact with her unless the script insisted upon it. Nicole wondered if she’d done something wrong. But every time she tried to approach Waverly and talk to her, Waverly would become distant, suddenly finding an excuse to be anywhere but there.

She couldn’t help but observe Waverly’s interactions with Champ from afar, naturally curious how Waverly would act towards him following their breakup - especially since they were still playing the roles of boyfriend and girlfriend. Nicole could sense the awkwardness between them the second they finished rehearsing. Not that it was much of a consolation, but Nicole was somewhat relieved to see that she wasn’t the only one Waverly was acting strange around.

Even Jeremy had noticed the change.

“Is it just me, or has Waverly been acting really weird around you since she broke up with Champ?” Jeremy had asked. “I mean, not that it’s any of my business or anything.”

“Yeah... it’s not just you.”

Nicole sighed.

She wondered if this was how things were going to be from now on, Waverly avoiding her at every opportunity for some unknown reason. And to think she’d thought they could be friends.

The next day though, things with Waverly were different once again. Nicole had been standing at the craft services table trying to decide what snack she wanted when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Waverly extending a hand to her, offering what appeared to be some kind of dessert.

“They’re vegan cookies,” Waverly said with a smile. “Would you like one?”

“Oh! Um, sure,” Nicole stammered in surprise, her eyes darting from Waverly to the cookie and back again.

After how the past few days had unfolded, Nicole was confused that Waverly was talking to her at all - let alone offering dessert. Still, she gratefully accepted the cookie, their hands brushing for a brief moment as she took it from Waverly’s outstretched palm. Nicole took a tiny bite out of one of the corners, slightly wary of how it would taste. She wasn’t usually one for food substitutes. But even if she didn’t like the cookie, she was going to pretend it was the best damn thing she’d tasted just because Waverly had offered it to her.

“Hey, these are pretty good!” Nicole remarked thoughtfully, taking another bite of cookie. And it wasn’t a lie either. The cookie was actually (surprisingly) delicious.

“You like it?” Waverly asked, her face lighting up.

“Yeah!” Nicole exclaimed. “What kind is it?”

“Banana walnut! One of my favourites.”

“Well, you can bring me some of those cookies any time.”

“Good to know,” Waverly said. As she turned to leave, she winked at Nicole.

Nicole could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a second. Had Waverly just... _winked_ at her?

What was even weirder though was how for the rest of the day, Waverly seemed to deliberately go out of her way to be around Nicole, instead of avoiding her. It was the polar opposite of how she had been acting earlier, which made Nicole’s head spin. In just one day Waverly had done a complete 180, going from literally walking the other direction when Nicole approached to standing as close to her as possible during the scenes they rehearsed, her hazel eyes piercing into Nicole’s brown ones. The intensity of Waverly’s eye contact made Nicole’s stomach do flips.

“I thought you two weren’t talking?” Jeremy asked, raising an eyebrow. It was Saturday evening now, and the two of them were at a place downtown called Vogue Supper Club.

“So did I,” Nicole said, taking a sip of her beer. “It’s like she can’t decide if she wants to be around me or not.”

Jeremy hadn’t been on set on Friday when the weirdness with Waverly happened, and Nicole needed to confide in him so she wouldn’t feel like it was all in her head. So they had made plans to hit up a trendy Toronto hotspot to chat over dinner and drinks - maybe even go dancing if the mood struck them.

“Hmmm, weird,” Jeremy said. He took a bite of his salad.

“Tell me about it.”

Nicole felt like she was stuck in a constant game of hot and cold with Waverly Earp, mixed signals being thrown up left, right, and center. It frustrated her to no end and yet she found that she couldn’t walk away. She’d have given anything to know what was going on inside Waverly’s head, because for the life of her, Nicole could not get a read on the girl. But, she reminded herself, filming for _Welcome to Purgatory_ started next week - which meant she had to be more focused than ever. Whatever game Waverly was playing with her emotions wasn’t going to stop her from making the most of her first experience working on a major movie.

 _Levelheadedness and resiliency... remember? You’ve got this, Nicole,_ she told herself.

And then she saw her from across the room, wearing a sparkly dress and looking absolutely radiant.

_Waverly._

* * *

_I know you’re dying to meet me_

_But I can just tell you this_

_Baby, as soon as you meet me_

_You’ll wish that you never did_

A club remix of a top 40 song played in the background as Waverly sat across from her best friends, chatting and laughing as they caught up with each others’ lives. She had been right - a girls’ night was exactly what she needed. She felt more like herself than she had in a while. It was fun to put on a sparkly dress and go out for dinner and drinks somewhere without the paparazzi tailing her. She’d even tweeted about it so her followers could see she was out enjoying herself after her breakup with Champ.

 **@MissWaverlyEarp** Girls’ night with the besties!!! @ItsRositaB @justplainchrissy I missed youuu!  <333

It was so great to see Rosita and Chrissy again. They were both in the media industry as well, and while they weren’t as known as Waverly, there had never been any competitiveness or jealousy between them. Rosita was an up-and-coming Latina model (who also happened to have a degree in biochemistry), and Chrissy had recently launched her own lifestyle magazine that had taken off.

“Did he really take you to a _steakhouse_ for a date?” Rosita asked, horrified at the prospect on Waverly’s behalf.

Waverly nodded.

“What a catch, am I right?” she said sarcastically. “Not to mention he just... _dragged_ me along wherever he wanted to go, like I was his property or something.”

Waverly took another sip of her wine.

“Waves, you deserve so much better,” Chrissy said. She patted Waverly’s shoulder sympathetically. “How about the new movie, how’s that going?”

“And can you give us any spoilers?” Rosita chimed in.

Waverly laughed.

“Sorry... no spoilers!”

“Awww.”

“But we start filming next week, so that’s exciting! Oh, and the cast is great... except for Champ, of course.“

Chrissy shuddered.

“I’m sorry you have to work with him still. That must be awkward.”

“Well, I am an actress after all,” Waverly said conspiratorially. She winked.

Rosita gasped, and Chrissy laughed.

“Aw, darn it!” Waverly exclaimed suddenly. “We forgot to do cheers!”

“Well it’s not too late,” Chrissy offered, holding her glass up.

“What should we ‘cheers’ to?” Rosita asked?

“How about... to the single life?” Chrissy suggested.

“Yeah... I like that,” Waverly said with a genuine smile. It felt so freeing knowing she was no longer trapped in that PR hell of a relationship. Of course, her friends had no idea just how on the nose her comment about being an actress had been. They didn’t even know Waverly wasn’t into guys, let alone about Nicole or her crush on her...

“To the single life!”

The trio clinked their glasses together.

“Hey, what do you say we get out there on that dancefloor?” Rosita suggested, giving a little shimmy. She got up from her seat, and Waverly and Chrissy followed suit, all three of them holding hands. As they made their way over to join the crowd, Waverly swore she saw a flash of familiar red hair. _No, it couldn’t be... could it?_ And yet, when the woman in question turned around, there was no mistaking her.

_Nicole._

Nicole Haught was here, at the Vogue Supper Club, dancing with another woman and looking like she was having the time of her life. Waverly couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was she too late? She unconsciously tightened her grip on Chrissy’s hand, heart pounding in her chest.

“You okay, Waves?” Chrissy asked.

“Yeah,” Waverly said, feeling lightheaded. “I just... saw someone I know.”

“Oh my god, is Champ here?” Rosita gasped. “You know, we don’t have to stay.”

For a moment, Waverly thought about leaving. She thought about pretending it was Champ out there, about pushing her true feelings aside and making a quick exit with her friends. But seeing Nicole looking like she did in a fitted navy pantsuit and dancing with another woman - _a woman who wasn’t her_ \- had sparked something deep inside Waverly.

“You know what?” Waverly said quickly. “I’ll meet you guys out there.”

“Are you sure?” Rosita asked.

“Yeah. There’s... there’s something I have to do.”

Without another word, Waverly rushed onto the dancefloor, leaving her two concerned friends behind.

“Call us if you need anything, okay?” Chrissy shouted, her voice drowned out by the pumping of the bass from the speakers.

But that was nothing compared to how loud Waverly’s heart was pumping, pounding in her chest as she weaved her way through the crowd in search of Nicole. Finally she spotted her target. The woman she’d seen dancing with Nicole previously was gone, but there was another in her place.

_Not a girlfriend then._

And that meant it was okay for Waverly to do what she was about  to do.

She took a deep breath before grabbing Nicole’s hand and pulling her away from the girl, leading her over behind the velvet curtains at the back of the club so they would be out of view.

“What is your problem?” Nicole asked, a mixture of shock and annoyance in her tone. “Because I’m really confused by the mixed signals you’re sending, Waverly. It feels like you’re leading me on and honestly I’m kind of tired of it—“

Without a second thought, Waverly surged forward and kissed Nicole. In that moment their lips collided, everything she’d thought about herself finally clicked into place. She’d never felt butterflies like that with Champ - or with any other guy, for that matter. Nicole kissed her back, but she was clearly caught off guard. After a few seconds, Waverly gently pulled away.

“Does that feel like leading you on?”

“Waverly-“

Nicole looked at her with wide eyes, desperately searching for an explanation as to what the hell had just happened.

Waverly bit her lip, her own eyes threatening to fill with tears as the reality of what she’d done sank in.

“You can’t tell anyone about this, okay?” Waverly pleaded. “No one knows.”

“Waverly, I-“

But it was too late. Waverly had already run off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say slow burn, right? Hope you don’t hate me too much for the ending of this one...


	10. Chapter 10

Nicole stared at her phone, hoping a message from Waverly would somehow magically appear. Since they hadn’t exchanged numbers, she had constantly been checking her Twitter notifications since she’d gotten back to the hotel to see if she had any new direct messages. So far the only notifications she’d received had been for a string of texts from Jeremy. He’d left the club with some guy he’d met on the dancefloor and wanted to make sure Nicole knew where he’d gone. Plus, he wanted to make sure Nicole was okay as well since he didn’t know where she’d disappeared to.

Nicole felt bad for taking so long to reply to her friend, but she was still processing what had just happened. Also, she knew there was no way she could tell Jeremy about the kiss. She didn’t know what was going on exactly, but telling him about the kiss would lead to lots of questions and Nicole knew in her heart she couldn’t betray Waverly’s trust.

 _Back_ _at_ _the_ _hotel_ , _crazy_ _night!_ Nicole settled for typing. _Don’t_ _worry_ _about_ _me_ , _okay?_ _Just_ _have_ _fun_ _and_ _stay_ _safe :)_

She sent the text and sighed, seeing once again that there weren’t any new notifications.

It had been about an hour since that kiss had happened - the kiss that Waverly Earp herself had initiated.

* * *

After Waverly had run off, Nicole tried to go after her. But it was too late. There was no sign of Waverly anywhere. She scanned the crowd in a panic as she searched for Jeremy and couldn’t find him either. Nicole’s heart pounded in her chest, drowning out the heavy bass pumping through the speakers. The place felt like it was closing in on her. She needed to get out of there - and fast. Nicole made her way through the crowd of people, frantically making a beeline for the exit. 

As she pushed open the door she took a deep breath, the crisp autumn air filling her lungs. With shaky hands, Nicole reached into one of the pockets of her pantsuit and retrieved her phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she’d found Stephanie, her driver, and dialed her number to let her know she needed to be picked up as soon as possible. On the ride back to the hotel, Nicole had been a lot quieter than usual.

“Is everything okay?” Stephanie had asked, picking up on her passenger’s uncharacteristic silence.

“Yeah... just tired, that’s all,” Nicole answered.

Nicole still wasn’t sure what to think or feel about what had transpired between her and Waverly that night. On the one hand, she no longer needed to wonder whether or not her feelings were one-sided. That was something Waverly had made abundantly clear.

 _Waverly_ _Earp_ _liked_ _her_ _back._

It was a thought that should have made Nicole feel giddy with excitement. But instead she had been left standing there alone, shocked and confused with a million questions swirling through her mind, while Waverly took off.

She desperately longed to talk to her, to ask her what had been running through her mind when she’d pulled Nicole behind those velvet curtains and swooped in for a kiss. But Nicole decided she was going to be respectful of Waverly by letting her take the lead. That is, if it was a conversation she even wanted to have.

As Nicole was about to put her phone on the nightstand and get into bed, the screen lit up with a new notification. Her heart leapt when she saw it was from Waverly.

 **@MsWaverlyEarp** : Ummm. Hey, Nicole... can we talk? I mean, if you want to.

* * *

Waverly didn’t know what to do. Kissing Nicole had made everything all too real for her. She’d wondered before from time to time what it would be like to kiss another girl, fleeting thoughts she never let slip out and pushed deep down inside her. But now, they were no longer just thoughts. She’d kissed a girl - a girl she really liked - and totally panicked after it happened, running off without another word. It was a fight or flight situation and in the heat of the moment Waverly had frozen, flying far, far away. She weaved across the dance floor, slipping through the crowd unnoticed. She didn’t know where she was going, but she wanted to get as far away from that back area of the nightclub as possible. 

Suddenly, Waverly realized she did in fact have a way out of there. Before she’d gone off in pursuit of Nicole, Chrissy had told her to call if she needed anything. And right now, what Waverly needed more than anything was her two best friends. She sprinted up the stairs that led to the banquet area, looking for a private place where she could make a phone call. Much to her relief, the upstairs banquet area wasn’t as crowded as the dancefloor on the main level.

Waverly ducked behind a marble pillar to stay hidden, fumbling around in her tiny clutch for her phone. Once she found it, she whipped it out and dialed Chrissy’s number. It rang for a few seconds.

“Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up,” Waverly frantically muttered to herself.

“Waves? Hello?” Chrissy’s voice came through the phone, sounding concerned.

“Chrissy, hi!” Waverly exclaimed. “Look, I know it’s early, but can we get out of here?” she pleaded. I just really need to be anywhere else right now. Please?”

* * *

A short time later, Waverly found herself, Chrissy, and Rosita sitting on a couch in the loft Chrissy had rented. The three of them were eating popcorn and watching some rom-com on Netflix, but Waverly was finding it hard to focus on the movie. All she could think about was kissing Nicole, and what that could mean for her, and hoping Nicole wasn’t mad at her.

“Oh, he’s so hot!” Rosita exclaimed as she gestured to the television screen, where the male lead of the movie was currently shirtless. “Be still my heart!”

“Right? He’s gorgeous!” Chrissy said, fanning herself.

Waverly shifted in her seat on the couch uncomfortably. She didn’t find the actor particularly attractive at all, and not because he was, well, a “he” - he just wasn’t her type. Granted, her “type” seemed to be skewing more towards tall, female, and ginger these days. Waverly could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she sat between her two best friends, who were giggling and swooning without a care in the world. She couldn’t take another minute of pretending like everything was so... normal. Not when her world had turned inside out.

“I kissed someone,” Waverly suddenly blurted.

Immediately, Chrissy’s and Rosita’s attention snapped from the television screen to their friend.

“What? When?” Chrissy asked.

“Tonight?” Rosita followed up.

Waverly nodded.

Chrissy gasped.

“Who?!” she asked.

“Was he hot?”

Waverly felt overwhelmed by all of the questions. She opened her mouth to respond, then quickly closed it again, realizing she had no idea what to say. It would be so easy to invent some mystery man, talk all about a guy who was, in reality, nothing more than a product of her imagination.

“Ummmm... he was...”

“Tell us!”

Chrissy and Rosita leaned in intently. Waverly felt like she was in the “Summer Nights” scene from Grease, surrounded by people eager for her to tell them more about her mysterious lover. Except, this was much more complicated than a high school movie musical.

“He was, uhhh...” Waverly started again, trailing off mid-sentence as the words failed to come to her.

 _Just_ _say_ _it,_ _Waverly!_ _Damn_ _it,_ _why_ _is_ _it_ _so_ _hard?!_ _Just_ _tell_ _them!_

Waverly grabbed the remote to mute the television. Then, she took a deep breath.

“He wasn’t a he,” Waverly finally said. “I... I kissed a girl, okay?”

Chrissy and Rosita sat there in stunned silence. Waverly continued talking, unsure to read their reactions.

“And I didn’t know how to tell you because you’re my best friends, and you can’t tell anyone about this, but there you go - now you know the truth!”

“Waverly...” Chrissy said gently.

Waverly’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Chrissy.

“You know that doesn’t change anything, okay? You’re still our Waves.”

Chrissy hugged Waverly, and Rosita joined in.

“Exactly, we love you no matter what,” Rosita added. “No matter who you kiss... well, as long as it’s not Champ.”

Waverly couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly a realization dawned on Chrissy.

“Wait... is that why you called me earlier and wanted to leave?” she asked.

Waverly nodded.

“I kissed her and then I just... ran off. God, I’m so stupid.”

“Do you like her?” Rosita asked.

“Yeah,” Waverly admitted, smiling a little at the very thought of Nicole. “A lot, actually.”

“Then you have to talk to her!” Rosita exclaimed. “Tell her how you feel.”

“You know what? You’re right,” Waverly declared. “I’m gonna do that.”

She wiped away her tears and reached for her phone, opening the Twitter app. Then, she opened a new direct message to Nicole’s handle, @HaughtChickNic, and began typing.

 _Ummm._ _Hey,_ _Nicole..._ _can_ _we_ _talk?_ _I_ _mean,_ _if_ _you_ _want_ _to._

Waverly’s finger hovered over the “send” button for a moment before she finally sent the message. She hoped Nicole would still be awake to see it and want to talk about whatever was going on between them.

“There, done,” she announced. “I just asked her if we could talk.”

“Well that’s always a good start,” Chrissy said with a smile.

Waverly smiled back. Since she’d messaged Nicole and opened up to her friends, she already felt a little bit lighter. Now all she needed was for Nicole to respond... and hopefully it would be the kind of response she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s finally back with another chapter? Life’s been busy and I’ve been trying to conquer writer’s block but I feel like I’m getting back in the groove... as always, comments and kudos are appreciated!


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